Strawberries
by wilsontoyourhouse
Summary: When Hinata found out she was pregnant for the second time, she wanted strawberries.


_Oh hiii, you guys! How goes it?_

_Well...you all know I'm in Hiatus Land over Never...but I made this. To just solidify the fact that there's totally gonna be a happy ending. I mean...I have how both of the stories are gonna end...I just gotta find out a good way to get there. Ah well...it'll happen eventually._

_I hope y'all like this little thingamabob._

* * *

When Hinata Uzumaki found out she was pregnant for the second time, she wanted strawberries.

It was a subtle craving, a desire for a small container of the red fruits. So, when she went to the store, she bought two containers of strawberries…and a pregnancy test.

When Naruto returned from work, there was an empty container of strawberries on the table, and a pregnancy test was tenderly tucked inside. Eyes wide, he slowly opened the container, and shakily pulled out the small stick. On the tiny screen were two pink lines.

It was positive.

Hinata was sitting on the living room floor, playing blocks with two-year-old Chiyo when Naruto stumbled into the room, the pregnancy test in his hand. When she saw what he was holding, she shyly looked up at her husband, biting her lip nervously. In a flash, he was by her side, and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly, spinning around the room, cheering. Chi, eyes wide, jumped up and danced around them, crying out, "Wha', daddy, wha'?"

Eyes bright, Naruto turned and scooped his daughter up, "a baby, Chi, a baby! You're gonna have another brother or sister!" Her eyes, if possible, went wider, and soon, she was cheering as loud as her father, screaming over and over, "a baby, a baby, a baby!"

Hinata beamed at the two of them, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she moved towards the kitchen. She had a dozen phone calls to make, e-mails to send…

And there was another container of strawberries waiting for her in the fridge.

_~O~_

Four months go by, and as they pass, the Hinata's craving for strawberries grew. It quickly reached the point where she had to have them every day. The cravings were always different; sometimes, she wanted the strawberries to be hard, the inside white and bitter. Other times, she wanted them to be ripe, the skin soft, pliable, the inside deep red and dripping. She also loved them cut up and soaked in sugar water until the clear water turned red. Hinata always shared with Chi, who constantly appears when she sees her mother holding a new container of berries.

She'd scramble quickly onto her lap, her mouth opening and closing like a little bird. "Me, mummy, me!" she'd chirp, "Share, share!" And she'd smile and together, they'd eat the entire container, Chiyo rubbing her stomach all the while. "Mummy? Why's your tummy sooooo big?" Placing another berry in her mouth, Hinata stared at her stomach thoughtfully; it did look a lot bigger than it should at four months….

"It's from the baby, sweets," she said lightly, "you'll get pictures next week, after my doctor appointment, okay?" Chi nodded solemnly, and popped another strawberry in her mouth.

_~O~_

"So, how far along are you?"

"Hm…about twenty weeks."

"Twenty? Really? Hm…well, let's take a look…"

Hinata cringed at the familiar, uncomfortably cold gel that was spread across her stomach. When the ultrasound wand was pressed to her stomach, she turned to the small screen and watched as the blurred gray picture slowly came into focus. When the screen cleared, Hinata's eyes widened at what she saw.

Swirling the wand around, her doctor smiled happily, "well! Well, this is a wonderful surprise!"

_~O~_

When Naruto arrived from work late that night, tired, cold, and smelling of oregano, he saw Hinata sitting in the kitchen, looking at a picture. Loosening his tie, he entered the kitchen, confused, "Hinata? How come you're still awake?" At his voice, his wife looked up, and her eyes were bright, happy, "I had my doctor appointment today," she said quietly, standing up from her seat, "and…well…I figure you should see for yourself."

She handed him the small picture, biting her lip and playing with her hair. Curious, Naruto looked down at the picture, the gray swirls and blobs slowly coming into focus, and what he saw made him gasp.

Instead of one tiny body, he was looking at _two_; two heads, two arms, two small curved spines….Twins. _Hinata was having twins. _He looked at her, and then looked back at the picture; his hands were shaking. Hinata was shaking too, and her lips curved up in a tiny, scared smile.

Naruto gently grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his arms. He squeezed her, buried his face into her neck, and laughed. It wasn't until Hinata pulled up his face and kissed his cheeks, that he realized that he was crying.

_~O~  
_

Once Hinata discovered that she was having twins, her need for strawberries grew at an impossibly high level.

Every day, she ate twice the amount of strawberries, and now she only wanted them either soaked with sugar water or ripe to the point that they almost fell apart in her hands, all of her blouses stained red with strawberry juice. Every time Naruto kissed her, he had to make sure he wiped his mouth, so that no trace of the redness that always clung to her lips was now on his.

Time passed, and her stomach seemed to grow to an incredible amount. She stared at herself in the mirror, her belly like a full moon (every night, Naruto was always kissing it, always touching it, feeling every turn, every kick, every hiccup, not missing any of it, not like before.) Time was running out, and she quivered with anticipation…and some fear. Would they be able to do it? To take care of Chi, plus two new little ones? Other than that…the first time, with Chi, she almost…She'd make it this time, right?

'_Well,'_ she thought, '_in a couple more months, I'll find out.'_

_~O~_

"Are you nervous?"

Naruto and Hinata were in the kitchen again, Hinata sipping a small cup of tea. A month ago, they went to see the doctor, the last check-up before the twins arrived. Their doctor dropped the bomb and told them that the twins couldn't be delivered naturally. And so, on the day of the delivery, she'll be having a C-section instead.

Now, two days before the procedure, there they were, late at night, not able to sleep. Hinata said nothing, staring at him; she was wearing a loose cardigan, barely buttoned, her hair thrown over her shoulder in a sloppy ponytail. Running her index finger over the rim of her mug, she sighed, "Kind of," she admitted softly, "but…I'm sure it'll be okay."

Naruto pursed his lips, unsure; he was sure he'd never been this worried in years. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms, her stomach preventing him from pulling her as close as he wanted. "I'm scared. I can't help it." He exhaled softly onto the skin of her neck, and she shivered, "I'm worried…about taking care of three kids now. About losing you in the process. I don't…I really don't want that. I just…I just got you, y'know?"

Hinata smiled, and ran her fingers through his hair, "I'm sure it'll be fine," she assured him, "we'll be in and out in no time. Easy-peasy." He chuckled weakly, "yeah…easy-peasy."

They fell silent, wrapped up in some bubble of peace, which was quickly interrupted by a small cry. In a few seconds after that, Chi entered, rubbing tears out of her eyes, "mummy…daddy…bad dream…" Naruto smiled at Chi, and scooped her up, kissing her tiny face, "bad dream, princess? I'm sure you could've beaten those monsters up, no sweat!"

Half-asleep, Chi nodded, grabbing a fistful of his shirt like she did when she was a baby. "Mummy," she murmured, "babies here t'morrow?"

"Not yet, sweets," she swept a wayward hair out of her daughter's face, "the next tomorrow, okay? Now, go to sleep. The monsters won't get you when you're with us." "Mmm…m'kaaay…" and just like that, she was asleep once again, snoring softly.

Naruto smiled at her over the top of Chi's head, "well, that was easy."

"Yeah…" smiling, Hinata stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They shared a relieved smile; they had their answer. It would be fine. Somehow, everything would turn out fine; just like before, everything will just fall into place.

_~O~_

Two days came and went, and the day finally arrived.

Naruto awoke from a restless night of sleep, to see that Hinata was already awake. She was sitting up, looking at the sun as it slowly made its way into the sky. She was wearing another large, baggy shirt; during the last months of her pregnancy, wearing bras became too much to bear, her breasts were so tender. She felt tight, like she was about to split out of her skin, but at the same time, her bones felt loose, like they were made of rubber. One of her hips had almost gone out of place, because her joints were so loose, her body preparing to give birth once again.

As he sighed and pushed himself up, she turned to him, her hands rubbing her ample belly in soothing circles. He slowly progressed to her side, moving her dark curtain of hair to kiss the nape of her neck. "You ready?" he asked quietly. She shrugged, "not really," she admitted softly, "I'm going to the hospital to get cut up."

Hinata giggled weakly at her lame attempt at humor and bit her lip. Naruto's eyes narrowed in concern, and he ran his fingers through her hair, "did you even sleep? At all?" She looked down, and shyly shook her head, playing with her fingers.

Exhaling through his nose, Naruto looked over at the clock; it was almost seven in the morning, and they didn't have to go to the hospital until ten.

"Well…we could try to get a little more sleep now, at least…?" Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Naruto pulled Hinata close, ignoring her soft protests, and pulled her under the blankets. When they were both covered up to their chins, they stared at each other, the only sound in the room being their soft breathing. They said nothing at all, just looked at each other, Naruto's hands pressed to her stomach, before their eyes finally drifted closed, and they fell asleep.

_~O~_

"Mummy! With de bubblers, I'm with a beard! See, mummy, see?"

"Yes, yes, I see! Ah, close your eyes now, so you won't get any soap in them…" Leaning against the doorframe, Naruto smiled as Chi screamed happily, the warm water pouring down her face. Hinata smiled, wiping a wet lock of her hair away, tucking it into the small black clip that held her thick hair at bay. They were able to get some sleep for a while, and then, at nine o'clock, Chi burst into their room and bounced on the bed, effectively waking them up.

Now, they were almost ready to go, Hinata and Chi having a quick bath together before their departure. As Chi splashed and squealed, happy as a clam, Hinata looked up and saw Naruto at the door, a towel thrown over his arm, and she smiled at him. "Alright, sweets, it's time for you to get out now! We've gotta go to the hospital and get the babies, okay?"

This was Naruto's cue, and he stepped forward, the large towel already open, waiting for Chi to fly into it. "Babies, babies, babiiiies!" giggling, she soared into the towel, into her father's arms, her skin pink and scrubbed clean, her silvery blonde hair a spiky wet halo around her face.

Wrapping Chi up tightly in the large towel, Naruto growled, "I have this _huuuuuge_ burrito and I'm _sooooo hungry!_ Shrieking with laughter, she squirmed in the towel, "no, daddy, no! You can't eat me! I'm a _girl_, not a b'rito!" Naruto chuckled, and began to leave the room as Hinata slowly rose out of the bath. As she reached for a towel, Naruto didn't miss the slight tremor of her hands, and he frowned slightly as he headed for Chi's small room.

~O~

"Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."

Hinata looked up at him from the bed with wide, frightened eyes, her hand tightly holding on to his. They arrived at the hospital ten minutes after ten, and after signing in and heading to their room, Hinata was being wheeled in to the operating room thirty minutes later. "It won't hurt," he soothed her; "it'll be quick, just like you said. In and out. Easy-peasy."

Her grip loosened slightly, and she smiled, "yeah," she said weakly, "easy-peasy. Oh, take off that stupid mask, Naruto, please. I don't care what the doctors say about sterility; it's creeping me out."

Snickering slightly, he pulled the mask away, letting her see all of his face, and she relaxed a little more, just as they entered the operating room. One washing, numbing shot, and another pep talk later, and Hinata was lying on the table, a thin blue curtain covering her lower half. "Okay, Mrs. Uzumaki, this won't hurt a bit…it will feel a bit uncomfortable…"

She felt the slide, the scalpel cutting her open, but she didn't really _feel _it_._ But still, Hinata trembled, and she kept her eyes on Naruto's face, so that she wouldn't lose her mind.

~O~

When Hinata found out she was pregnant for the second time, all she wanted was strawberries. Now, she wondered if this, what happened to them, was a mere coincidence.

When Aya and Tomo, a girl and a boy, were born, they were a sight to behold. Unlike Chi, who was born screaming, kicking, running headfirst into the world before her time, they were as silent as the grave, their cries tiny mewls that could barely be heard. They barely moved, their eyes screwed shut from the lights, covered in blood and gunk, but the one noticeable thing was their _hair. _Both of them had a head of _bright red_ hair that looked like fine silk. And when they finally opened their eyes, they were both a clear, startling _blue_.

They had their father's eyes.

Under later inspection, both of them had their mother's face, the Hyuuga bone structure, and Hinata was sure that they would be like their own reflection, even though they weren't identical twins.

They were beautiful.

~O~

When Hinata was stitched back up and wheeled into her room and propped up in her bed, she was finally able to hold her children for the first time. Naruto, who slid into the small bed next to her, held Tomo, while she held Aya. Running a finger through Tomo's hair, Naruto chuckled, his eyes wide, "that's mum's hair!" he crowed, "I can't believe it!"

Hinata hummed softly in agreement, yet still, she wondered at the same time if her overconsumption of strawberries played a part. '_Probably not…' _she smiled, running a finger down Aya's small face, '_I'm just….being a bit silly…' _

Nuzzling into her light touch, Aya's eyes opened slightly, showing brilliant blues, while, in Naruto's arms, Tomo cooed, turning his head so he could try to eat his finger. Naruto laughed softly, his face bright with awe, "they just might be a huge hassle when we get home, huh?" His expression turned thoughtful, "home…home…"

Just like that, his eyes turned glassy, and when he blinked, tears ran down his face. Smiling, Hinata adjusted Aya to one arm, reaching out to wipe the tears away from his face. Naruto hiccupped, holding Tomo closer, "I feel kinda stupid now, but…b-but…" Tears dripped into the newborn's hair, "I'm happy…I got to be a part of it all this time…! I'm not going to miss anything!"

Now with her eyes smarting a bit, Hinata scooted closer to him making sure that she didn't mess with the new stitches across her stomach. Her hip pressed against his, she stretched up and gently kissed his cheek. "I love you" she said softly, "you didn't miss anything before; you didn't miss anything at all. You were there from the start. Okay?" Sniffling and sighing, Naruto nodded, holding Tomo closer, rubbing his tiny cheek against his. Closing her eyes, Hinata sighed sleepily and held Aya close, burying her nose into her thin, silky scarlet hair.

She swore that underneath the smell of baby powder, she could catch a faint whiff of strawberries.

* * *

_Awe, it's just so tiny and cute. I think this is my smallest oneshot. I think. I think. _

_Also! I was trying to be hilarious (which I'm kinda not) with the twins names; Aya means 'Colorful' and Tomo means 'Twin'. Sooo, together, they make 'Colorful Twin'. It's laaaaaame, but I thought it was cuuuuute. _

_Meh. I'm happy. It's Christmas Eve. I got my shopping done (for my tiny, tiny amount of presents) Life's good._

_Soooo...please review, and I hope that you have an amaaaazing Christmas tomorrow, okay? Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!_

_Thank yooou (and I love your faces)_


End file.
